About 400 entrepreneurs and investors, representatives of the government and of the political environment, special guests and journalists met on Wednesday, December 13th 2017, at the MBPA Gala, an already traditional event organized by the Moldovan Business People Association at the end of the year.

Holding a speach at the start of the event, MBPA President Vlad Plahotniuc reminded the idea behind the establishment of MBPA in 2010, namely the desire to encourage and support entrepreneurial success in Moldova. "I follow the progress of the business and I am very pleased that a small part of it is also due to the MBPA," said the founder of the Association. Speaking to the businessmen present at the event, Vlad Plahotniuc stressed that further measures would be taken in favor of the business, talking about the need to exclude the potential abuses of the law enforcement bodies. "In the coming days, the Government will approve a new law project for this issue. There are some speculations about this project and even some of our development partners are reluctant to support it. We need your support for this project. It is both useful to your government and to you. We are interested in having an honest and direct collaboration between business and government," the MBPA president said.

At the same time, Vlad Plahotniuc urged entrepreneurs not to hesitate to support those reform measures, which they themselves have called for from the government, no matter how brave they are, because they (entrepreneurs) have a trustworthy partner in their current governance.

Next, the Prime Minister Pavel Filip spoke about the measures taken in 2017 by the Government for the business environment. The prime minister mentioned, in the context, the massive reduction of permissive acts, the improvement of the Labor Code, but also the introduction of the "unique counter" concept or the reduction of the number of control bodies. The prime minister also expressed the openness of the Government of Moldova to business associations, in order to meet the expectations of the private environment.

Referring to the initiative on the elimination of pressures and abuses on the business environment, Prime Minister Filip said: "We will undertake a much more courageous reform for the institutions of force. If you want to get a result, you do not have to talk about problems only - it is very important to eliminate the cause. We want to achieve this through the new project. "

As Chief of the Moldova Investment Climate Project and World Bank representative, Lily Begiashvili has shown its support for the Government's measures to reduce the number of permissive acts and control institutions, and also states that it supports the process of implementing the complex inspection reform by removing unnecessary burden over the businesses.

Speaking on behalf of the Foreign Investors' Association, its president, Alexander Koss, praised the initiative made public by the Ministry of Justice to eliminate abuses against companies. "When I heard about this project, I was delighted. Control must not marginalize the business," concluded Alexander Koss.

Other speakers welcomed business governance measures, expressed confidence in the dialogue between companies and the government, and supported the intention to introduce less repressive rules and additional protection for businesses. Thomas Moser, President of the European Business Association, Sergiu Harea, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova, Alexandru Bilinkis, Orhei-Vit Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vasile Chirtoca, the leader of DAAC-Hermes.

At the end of the gala, MBPA General Manager Alexandru Baltag handed out the diplomas for the winners of the MBPA Grant Competition, third edition. Each of the 10 young entrepreneurial winners received a 50,000 lei prize together with MBPA's greetings and successful business wishes. Speaking on behalf of the winners, the young entrepreneur Dorin Prisacaru thanked the Moldovan Business People's Association and urged young people to enter into business if they feel a call for it and if they have a dream they want to fulfill.

"My advice is not to miss out on any opportunity to attract investment in your business, and to grasp any opportunity to manifest yourself. Everyone in the Republic of Moldova has the means and tools to start and develop a business, " Dorin Prisăcaru said.

Concluding after the closing of the gala, MBPA's General Manager, Alexandru Baltag, expressed his satisfaction that it was "a big event with a large presence". "MBPA is confident in the business environment and our efforts are fruitful. We will continue to be close to entrepreneurs, we will continue to work on improving legislation, attracting foreign investment, helping small businesses.